How to pack smartly!

Come on,
husbands, remind your wives that they have to prepare the luggage, they will
surely know how to do it better, even if they will take a lot of your space!
Let’s pretend that we have already established what we have to put in (we will
soon make a dedicated article). The funniest part remains: discovering that it
has nothing to do with it and having to jump on the suitcase to close it! Once
closed, then, realize that the weight is greater than the weight of the baggage
allowance and start all over again.
You’ll find many tutorials on the subject, some of which are highly
questionable. But if you want to find out how to make the suitcase
intelligently, here is a set of general rules!

General
tips on how to pack intelligently!

Whatever means
of transport you have chosen, it is always convenient to have light and compact
luggage.

There are many
suggestions, depending on your personal needs and the type of trip.

First of all,
know that the best way to transport clothes so that they take up little space
and do not crumple is to roll them up. It’s even better to leave a piece of the
garment outside and use it to “encapsulate” the cylinder that comes
out. The concept is simple but not in words, so I invite you to look for videos
on youtube.com. My favourite is “Folding clothing techniques that you
should share to keep”, but you could also try looking for “How to
pack clothes for travelling” or other videos on how to roll up your
clothes. Evaluate the ones that best
suit your needs.

Seven tips on
how to save space in packing intelligently!

Use small containers to dose the products you
need. For example, contact lens boxes are ideal for creams or foundation and so
on.

Insert film between the thread and
the cap of the containers so that they remain better sealed.

In the same way, evaluate the
quantities of objects you need and place them in appropriate containers.
Probably, for example, you will not need a whole pack of cotton flakes, just a
few collected in a small bag.

Put some objects, perhaps because
they are delicate, inside the shoes, so as not to lose that space.

Use shower caps as lightweight and
practical disposable containers for footwear or the like.

Place chains and the like between
two sheets of the film so that they do not twist. You can attach the earrings
to the holes in the old buttons.

Prefer magazines and electronic
books that you can download on tablets, e-books, etc., taking up less space.

Never forget
to also consider the free space that you will need on your return to store
souvenirs and purchases.

Packing
intelligently when taking a flight

If your
itinerary includes flights, there are a bit more complications in packing.
These are divided into carry-on baggage, checked baggage and special baggage.
For the latter (musical instruments, sports equipment, weapons, urns, etc.) it
is better to contact the company directly and check the rules.

Each company
has specific weights and dimensions for the baggage allowance. Check them
thoroughly before departure. I recommend that you buy online, for a few euros,
a special scale that will serve you not only at this stage, but every time you
have to take a plane, even on the way back.

As far as hand
luggage is concerned, it should also be specified that in most airports it is
still not allowed to bring liquids in containers larger than 100 ml each, for a
total of one litre, all contained in a transparent envelope (sometimes also
provided at the terminals). Fortunately in recent times (except in particularly
sensitive airports such as London) on this aspect you are not very picky at the
baggage check, but containers of liquid over 100 ml are usually thrown away. Be
careful, therefore, in particular to tricks and perfumes that can also be very
expensive.

Place the
envelope with liquids and travel documents in a front pocket so that you do not
have to do too many manoeuvres when checking.

Tips
and tricks to make the suitcase in an intelligent way when you take a Low-Cost
flight (and not only)

For flights with
low-cost airlines (and not only), but there may also be severe restrictions on
the weight and size of hand luggage. Here are a couple of very special tricks
that will allow you to solve the problem.

There are
cases with removable wheels that can be put in your pocket when your luggage is
weighed or measured, saving you precious centimetres and a few grams. You can
also buy these wheels separately, to apply them to any suitcase.

Many people
are forced to fill their pockets with chargers and other heavy items to take
them out of their suitcases. The real trick, however, is to use an
airport-jacket. There are several models and these are jackets specifically
designed to carry the same content of an entire bag. No one, at least so far,
can contest what you carry in your pocket. These intelligent devices, moreover,
can be folded comfortably on themselves and become a bag with many handles to
facilitate the transport when there are no more limits of weight and space,
even during the checks to the metal detector.

The various
models have a different style, capacity and prices and can adapt to all needs.
You can choose whether to keep a decent appearance or fregarven to look like
Humpty dumpty and carry 30 kilos more.

Suitcase
making in a smart way: 3 ideas to avoid the discomfort of the loss of luggage

For the
baggage to be taken on board, the maximum weight and size allowed, as if that
were not enough, we add another problem. Those who travel often already know:
we must always consider the remote possibility that checked baggage is lost.
This happens more frequently if the stopover is too short, if delays occur or
if low-cost airlines operate multi-stage flights.

It is a rather
sad event because in those days (usually no more than two) that separate you
from getting your luggage back, the fear of not seeing some of your things
again is added the discomfort of not having available clothes and other goods
more or less primary.

Prepare
a label with not only your data but also where you will stay and especially the
flights taken. Maybe cover it with transparent tape (it will be disposable) and
attach it to the suitcase with a simple keyring ring. Yes, they do so already
at check-in, with barcodes. But if your luggage has been lost there may have
been a problem with their tags. Prepare them for return
and take them with you.

Buy or make
luggage covers. You can also take them abroad where you will find all types and
prices. You will save the expensive plastic coating they provide at airports. The latter only lasts for one flight and you

Provides
insurance that may be superfluous, since you already have the compulsory
insurance of the company. It is also the same for everyone. Personal luggage
covers will make your luggage unique and therefore easier to find not only for
you at the belt, but also and especially during transport or in case of loss.
It would be better to take some flashy, garish, particular ones. Calm girls, I
know that you like to be fashionable and have the colours that make a pendant
… but the more the suitcase is flashy, the lower the risk of being lost or
found late. Also hiding the brand “super fashion” discourages any
malicious people from targeting your new and trendy super fashion suitcase. Keep that in mind.

Another important tip: prepare the
suitcase in a “cross-sector” way, it will be more uncomfortable but
it will save you the day in case of loss or delayed delivery of the luggage.
Let’s understand what it means: for simplicity imagine travelling in pairs,
with two suitcases to embark. Let’s assume that you will have to visit some
places where to do some trekking, and others where to go to the sea. Well, what
you should do is put all the trekking stuff in one suitcase and all the sea
stuff in another. Also in the remaining space of each suitcase, a few clothes
each. I understand that it may seem like a mess, but if you were to lose a
suitcase (losing both is a remote hypothesis) you would not find yourself in
the condition in which one of the two has everything and the other has nothing.
Also, if you lose your suitcase with the trekking stuff, for example, you can
start with the sea, or you will need to go only to a store that sells trekking
staff to solve the problem. If you had traditionally packed your bags, each one
on its own, and if one was lost, the unfortunate would have had to buy
everything back probably going to different shops and losing holiday time that,
as we have repeatedly said, we consider sacred.

In any case,
everything that is essential should be carried in hand luggage that you should
not miss (unless you are particularly refunded by the jet-lag).

Remember,
moreover, that if you embark some liquids it is opportune to put them in one or
more plastic bags because between bumps and changes of pressure, they could
escape and to ruin that which is around you.

Packing
intelligently in the case of special luggage

The hypotheses
are endless, but try to use lateral thinking. Let’s take the example of a
beautiful fencing bag, full of heavy suits and masks and cumbersome swords.

The Masters
Francesco Leonardi and Gianfilippo Di provide us with some “tricks”
that have been matured in the very long years of international experience in
the field:

If the rules
of that company do not provide for the fencing bag, but there is a surcharge
for all sports bags, it will be enough to make it pass as a golf bag, so the
bag passes without any surcharge.

In other
cases, it will be sufficient to pass it off as a general oversized bag,
provided that it is under 23 kg; this applies to almost all airlines.

For the Low
Cost to comply with the required fees we have the ploy to avoid the surcharge
for sports equipment (from 50 to 60 € each way): go to the packaging service
with film (from 10 to 12 €) and declare our luggage as a simple suitcase
generic out of size!